Simone-Renée Roussel (February 29, 1920 - December 20, 2016), better known as Michèle Morgan, was a French actress and painter.
She was one of the most popular French actresses of her time, playing in over 70 films from The '30s to The '80s, in both France and Hollywood. She earned the nickname "Cinema's most beautiful eyes", in reference to one of her most iconic roles in Port of Shadows (1938).
She dedicated herself to art after her film career was over, leaving over 700 drawings and paintings. She was the wife of actor and director Gérard Oury from 1960 till his death in 2006.
Works on TV Tropes:
- Port of Shadows (1938) as Nelly
- Passage to Marseille (1944) as Paula Matrac
- The Grand Maneuver (1955) as Marie-Louise Rivière
- Napoléon (1955) as Joséphine de Beauharnais
- Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1956) as Marie-Antoinette
Tropes & Trivia about her works:
- What Beautiful Eyes!: The iconic scene she had with Jean Gabin in Port of Shadows, with Gabin's character's no less iconic line "T'as d'beaux yeux tu sais" ("You got beautiful eyes, you know"). A Big Damn Kiss ensues.
- What Could Have Been: She was tested and strongly considered for the female lead in Casablanca, but RKO Pictures would not release her for the amount of money that Warner Bros. offered. Morgan ended up working for WB however, in Passage to Marseille, with Humphrey Bogart.
